Dick Sprang

(1915 - May 2000, USA)

Dick Sprang is one of the most celebrated "Golden Age" 'Batman' artists. Born in Ohio in 1915, Sprang began his career during the Depression as an advertising artist and sign painter. He later graduated to illustrating pulp magazines in New York City. In the early 1940s when pulps sales declined, Sprang drew comic books and for the next 20 years, he worked mostly on 'Batman' at DC. He is known for his dramatic cinematic angles and layouts and use of oversized every day objects as props in the story. Sprang was responsible for the creation of The Riddler and redesigned the Batmobile in 1948. Sprang refused to sign Batman's creator Bob Kane's name to his work. Kane's name was added by someone else for publication. In later years Bob Kane commented that Dick Sprang was the only artist whose artistry on Batman met with his approval.

In 1955, Sprang got the chance to draw Superman, when he replaced Curt Swan as the primary artist for World's Finest. He worked on World's Finest until his retirement. Sprang left comics in 1963 to become a rancher in Prescott, Arizona. In the late 1980s he came out of retirement to produce commissioned reproductions of his Batman comic book covers. Among admirers, Sprang is known as the "good" Batman artist. An extremely limited edition biography of Dick Sprang was privately published in 1998.